Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

MG Icon concept

The MG Icon concept will be unveiled at the Beijing motor show next week in order to test public reaction to a small crossover, as well as suggesting a new design direction for the brand. Similar in size to the Nissan Juke, the Icon – as its name suggests – plays on MG's back catalogue of classic cars, something the company hasn't done since its takeover by Nanjing and subsequently SAIC in 2005. Despite clearly different proportions the Icon pays homage to the MGB GT sports coupe via its lamp and grille graphics, bumper overriders and fastback tailgate.

Porsche reports big drop in sales

Well, it’s not exactly a surprise, given the doom and gloom in the industry at the moment, but Porsche has just reported a 27% drop in sales, down to 34,000 units, over the last six months. As you would expect, some models fared worse than others. The recently updated Porsche 911, which has had mid-cycle tweaks including the new PDK ‘box, held up pretty well.

Hyundai i20 WRC starts testing

Hyundai has been busy plotting its return to WRC Rallying for 2014, but so far it’s all been about behind the scenes work on building an i20 capable of taking on the rally world and gathering a team that can make it a success. But with the first official outing for the i20 due in January 2014 in Monte Carlo, Hyundai has finally taken their i20 WRC out in the world to give it some proper testing outside the workshop, Hyundai have been playing on a private testing ground to check out the i20′s systems, followed by a comprehensive testing session to work on different setups and gather data, with a major focus on the i20′s 1.6 litre turbo which, until now, hadn’t been run in the car outside Hyundai’s R&D. Hyundai say all went well over the 55okm of testing across three days, a prelude to a full programme of testing in the coming months as Hyundai get closer to their official debut.